MLB Twitter is in agreement with Jeff Passan over controversial tomahawk chop

ESPN MLB reporter Jeff Passan penned an op-ed about ending the Atlanta Braves’ tomahawk chop, and the sports world largely supports the movement. 

It’s time to remove all callous references to American Indians in North American sports.

There are a multitude of reasons for this, including the reluctance of Indigenous groups to have their names turned into “caricatures.” During the World Series, MLB reporter Jeff Passan wrote an article detailing why it’s past time for Braves fans to “move on from the chop.”

While some sports fans were upset about Passan’s recommendation, the MLB reporter had a response to those fans who desperately want to “cosplay natives.”

For one MLB fan who tried to crack a joke about The Wave being offense, Passan agreed that the motion was unnecessary for different reasons.

Passan detailed how the chop translates to historical and modern-day policies. While the Georgia team feigns approval from local American Indian organizations, Passan offers a reminder of Georgia’s ugly history of eradicating Muscogee (Creek) and Cherokee tribes.

https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1454092333130174464s=20

MLB Twitter reacts

Writers at ESPN, The Athletic and FanSided have all condemned the Braves’ reluctance to change their name, but the issue is trending once more because the team is cast under the spotlight. During the World Series, these issues are amplified as the antiquated, casual racism is given a global platform.

While there are a handful of sports fans mocking Passan’s take in the vein that everything could be considered offensive, each of Passan’s tweets has thousands of likes and retweets.

https://twitter.com/Scott7news/status/1452113173197299715?s=20

https://twitter.com/ricsanchez/status/1452645583529955328?s=20

Overwhelmingly, the sports world is becoming more aware of the insensitivity of “Indian” sports mascots. When the Cleveland Indians decided to change their name to the Cleveland Guardians, the NCAI commended the name change, which took place after an extensive effort to engage with and learn from American Indian individuals, scholars and organizations.

“The Cleveland baseball team has taken another important step forward in healing the harms its former mascot long caused Native people, in particular Native youth,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp following the July announcement.

While some Braves fans are angered by what they perceive to be “performative activism”, the reality is that American Indian groups like the NCAI have been pushing for these initiatives for decades. Issues like crime, poverty, substance abuse issues and staggering rates of suicide are more pressing, but it’s centuries of callousness that laid the groundwork for all of these issues that American Indian communities are uniquely facing.

Although some in the Braves community are like Manfred and want to maintain this vestige of racism, the reality is that many in the MLB realm are like the Cleveland Guardians: they are ready and willing to finally move on.